FAQs

1. What makes GivnGo different from other donation platforms?

GivnGo wants to revolutionize the way people give to charitable organizations. We hope to start the trend for giving back as a part of everyday life. We make it super easy to give through the app directly to charity with our one time and recurring donations. In addition, with our “Round Ups” feature, users are able to give back to those in need every time they make a purchase with their credit/debit card. So, when you go shopping, go out to eat, or make any other purchase, you know that simultaneously you are doing good for the world. Our goal is to make the thoughtfulness of giving an effortless process.

2. How does The Round Ups feature work? And How can I sign up?

To sign up for the Round Ups feature it is a two-step process. First, users must enter their main card of purchase (credit or debit) into GivnGo. Then, they must link their corresponding bank account credentials, which includes their username & password. For example, a user that links up a Chase Visa credit card should input their Chase bank credentials as well. This way GivnGo can securely track your transactions and round up the difference in change from your purchases to the next dollar.

For instance, if you spend $15.75, then the next dollar up is $16.00, so we take that 25 cent difference and donate it to the charity(ies) of your choice. We collect the spare change (Karma Coins) that a user has accumulated during their monthly giving cycle and then send that money to their selected charity(ies) at the end of every month. Also, users can set limits on how much they give back per month. If a user reaches their maximum donation limit in any given monthly cycle, the round ups function will automatically be paused until the next month.

3. How secure is my personal information?

GivnGo utilizes “Braintree Payments” for all of our transactions. In addition, we use “Plaid” to track users' financial data. Both use industry leading data encryption and security measures to protect user data. Please refer to their respective websites for more information regarding privacy and security.

4. Is there a minimum amount I can donate?

For one time donations, the minimum is a $1.00. However, for our featured “round ups” function, or the recurring donation option, the monthly minimum is $5.00.

5. What are the “pots of gold” all about?

Giving back is a feel good process. We want to extend that feeling to our users because you SHOULD feel good for giving! The pots of gold are merely a fun animation to track how much spare change you accumulate and donate every month. The pot on you profile page incrementally start to fill as you accrue change throughout the month. After each month you receive a full pot of gold which resembles a completed monthly gift (30 day cycle). For example, when you achieve your $5.00 max limit for the month, you will earn a pot of gold for your donation. The black pot of gold represents a completed one time donation. The blue pot of gold represents a completed recurring donation. And lastly, the red pot of gold represents a completed monthly round up donation.

6. My charity, school, or religious institution is not listed on GivnGo’s app. How can I get them listed?

Under the info tab in our app, users can click on the “Add A Charity” button and suggest a charity of their choice to GivnGo. We will screen the organization and if they meet our requirements, we will notify you as soon as they are added.

7. How long does it take for my money to get to my charitable organization?

GivnGo donates your monthly contributions via check at the end of every month. There is approximately 3 days of downtime for transactional purposes, but rest assured, your money is being sent over right away to those need.

8. How does GivnGo pay the bills?

Like any organization, nonprofit or for-profit, we have operating expenses. Currently, it is acceptable for charities to retain up to 40% of donations for operations, and even highly efficient charitable organizations can retain up to 25%.

Our goal is twofold: 1) to create an easy and efficient way for users to donate to charitable causes and 2) to lower to overall costs for the charities themselves. GivnGo does a lot of the groundwork for our organizations and the overall donation process. This includes marketing, donor acquisition, creating new technology, etc. Our services are 100% free to every non-profit entity that signs up with us. We merely retain 3-5% depending on the gift size allowing us to keep the lights on. We also have some processing fees that are typical with giving online or through an app, however these costs are nominal. This way we can continue to do what we love, which is help the world and make it a better place. We hope in the future as we grow to lower our percentage and give back even more, but just know as a GivnGo user, your money is going to the charities of your choice in a fast and efficient manner. We always want to be fully transparent to our users, and if we each give what we can, it will have a big impact in the world.

9. How do I stop my recurring donation or Round ups donation?

There is pause button for users if they would like to put their giving on hold. We understand the financial concerns for any user so we make it easy for you to turn your recurring/round up donations on and off. The pause button will be located on your profile page at the upper right corner. Simply push the button and confirm that you want to pause. You can turn the donations back on at anytime using the same process.

10. My friend has an Android and can’t download the app. When will GivnGo be available on that device?

We are currently only available in the Apple App Store, but we hope to be a part of the Android market soon and are working to get our app on the Android platform soon. Very soon, users will also be able to give online through our website as well. Stay tuned!

11. I need a donation receipt for tax purposes. How can I obtain one?

Because GivnGo is established as a corporation, we currently cannot provide our users with a tax receipt. However, users can still receive an email of their transactions and provide these as proof of giving. Although we are not tax experts, and we do recommend you reach out to a tax specialist or accountant before deducting these donations, we believe and hope that users can use their transaction history for charitable deductions (net of fees).

12. I accidentally gave the wrong amount to my charitable organization. Can I get a refund?

Yes and no. Typically donations are nonrefundable. However, we always want to make sure our users are satisfied. If a refund is requested within the same month you made a donation, we will be able to issue a refund. Unfortunately, requests made after the donation month are nonrefundable, but again, please contact us with any account issues or discrepancies and we will do our best to work with you.